It prevents state and local governments from collecting dues for labor unions or other groups that use such funds to elect or lobby the very public officials who hire them and set their salaries and benefits.

It’s a modest but important ethical rule that will help keep partisan politics, with its echo of the 19th century “spoils system,” out of the merit systems that regulate most state and local government jobs.

We usually don’t agree with the Independence Institute’s Jon Caldara, who’s pushing this measure, on, well, anything. Let this be a first. [emphasis added]